Latency Compensation System

1. A method of providing a depressed state signal from a keyboard or button having a predefined pre-actuation position and a predefined actuation position of an actuator of the keyboard or button, the method comprising: sensing movement of the actuator of the keyboard or button; determining, when the actuator reaches the predefined pre-actuation position during depression of the actuator, a velocity of the actuator; processing the determined velocity to calculate a trigger position between the predefined pre-actuation position and the predefined actuation position, wherein the calculated trigger position is different from the predefined pre-actuation position and the predefined actuation position; and generating the depressed state signal when the actuator reaches the calculated trigger position such that a latency between when the actuator reaches the predefined actuation position and an action occurring in response to the generated depressed state signal is substantially zero or a negative latency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trigger position is calculated based on the velocity of the actuator and a latency value of the keyboard or button.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the velocity comprises determining an average or filtered velocity.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the velocity is a filtered velocity, and wherein the filtered velocity is based on a filtering coefficient, the filtering coefficient related to a magnitude of the velocity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the filtering coefficient is constrained to a pre-determined range of values to avoid overflow or underflow of the filtered velocity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement of the actuator is between a first depression or release sense position, corresponding to the predefined pre-actuation position, and a second depression or release sense position, corresponding to the predefined actuation position, and wherein the keyboard or button is configured to perform the action when the actuator reaches the second depression or release sense position.

7. A method of controlling an action of an output device in response to an actuator of an input device moving away from a first predefined pre-actuation position to reach a second predefined actuation position, the method comprising: sensing a movement of the actuator; determining a velocity of the actuator by processing a signal representing the sensed movement; processing the determined velocity to calculate a trigger position for generating a control signal of the actuator, the trigger position being located between the predefined pre-actuation position and the predefined actuation position and different from the predefined pre-actuation position and the predefined actuation position; and outputting the control signal to the output device at an output time corresponding to when the actuator reaches the calculated trigger position and no later than a time when the actuator reaches the actuation position, such that a time delay between the actuator reaching the predefined actuation position and the action of the output device, occurring based on the outputted control signal, is reduced.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the input device is a keyboard or button, the method further comprising providing a depressed or released state signal from the keyboard or button, where: determining the velocity of the actuator comprises, during depression or release of the actuator, determining the velocity of the actuator at a first depression or release sense position, corresponding to the predefined pre-actuation position of the actuator, and at a first time; and processing the determined velocity to output the control signal comprises: processing the determined velocity to predict when the actuator will reach a second depression or release sense position, corresponding to the predefined actuation position of the actuator, at a later time during depression or release of the actuator; and generating the depressed or released state signal with a timing based on the prediction of when the actuator will reach the second depression or release sense position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the keyboard or button controls the action of the output device in response to the actuator reaching the second depression or release sense position, the method further comprising: obtaining an indication of a latency value of the output device; and wherein the timing is further based on the latency value such that the time delay between the actuator reaching the second depression or release sense position and the action occurring is reduced.

10. The method of claim 9, the method further comprising determining the latency value by: receiving an indication of a depression time or a release time at which the actuator reaches the second depression or release sense position; receiving an indication of an action time, wherein the action time corresponds to a time when the action is triggered or occurs at the output device; and determining a difference between the depression time or release time, and the action time.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising at least one of: (i) determining, after generating the depressed or released state signal, a first retrigger velocity of the actuator and a subsequent second retrigger velocity of the actuator, and in response to determining that: the first retrigger velocity is such that the actuator is moving away from the second depression or release sense position at a first threshold rate; or the second retrigger velocity is such that the actuator is moving towards the second depression or release sense position at a second threshold rate, generating a retrigger signal; or (ii) determining, after generating the depressed or released state signal, an inversion position where the actuator is determined to be moving towards the actuation position; and in response to determining that the actuator has moved beyond the inversion position by a retrigger threshold distance, generating a retrigger signal.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of: (i) the sensing is performed by two or more sensors, each sensor at a fixed position, and the velocity is calculated by processing a time associated with the actuator being sensed at each of the fixed positions and a known distance between each of the two or more sensors; or (ii) the sensing is performed at a succession of times, wherein the velocity is calculated by processing the sensed position of the actuator at each time of the succession of times.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein calculating the velocity comprises processing three or more sensed positions and associated times to determine an average velocity of the actuator.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein: processing the velocity comprises: inputting the determined velocity into a model; and receiving, from the model, an indication of when the actuator will reach the actuation point; and the indication is used to determine the output time.

15. The method of claim 7, the method further comprising: obtaining an indication of a latency value of the output device; and processing the latency value to output the output signal at the output time.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: receiving an indication of an actuation time at which the actuator physically reaches the actuation position; receiving an indication of an action time, wherein the action time corresponds to a time when the action is triggered or occurs; and determining a value of a latency between the actuation time and the action time.

17. The method of claim 7 wherein the sensing is performed by two or more sensors, each sensor at a fixed position, and wherein at least one of: (i) the velocity is determined by processing a time associated with the actuator being sensed at each of the fixed positions and a known distance between each of the two or more sensors; or (ii) the sensing is performed at a succession of times, wherein the velocity is determined by processing the sensed position of the actuator at each time of the succession of times; or (iii) determining the velocity comprises processing three or more sensed positions and associated times to determine an average velocity.

18. The method of claim 7 further comprising at least one of: (i) determining, after outputting the output signal, a second velocity of the actuator and a subsequent third velocity of the actuator, and in response to determining that: the second velocity is such that the actuator is moving away from the actuation position at a first threshold rate; or the third velocity is such that the actuator is moving towards the actuation position at a second threshold rate, outputting a retrigger control signal to the output device; or (ii) determining, after outputting the output signal and after the actuator has moved away from the actuation position, an inversion position where the actuator is determined to be moving towards the actuation position; and in response to determining that the actuator has moved beyond the inversion position by a retrigger threshold distance, outputting a retrigger control signal to the output device.

19. A system for controlling an action of an output device in response to an actuator of the input device moving away from a first predefined pre-actuation position to reach a second predefined actuation position, the system comprising: the actuator; a sensor for sensing a movement of the actuator; and wherein the system is configured to: determine a velocity of the actuator by processing a signal representing the sensed movement; process the determined velocity to calculate a trigger position for generating a control signal of the actuator, the trigger position being located between the predefined pre-actuation position and the predefined actuation position and different from the predefined pre-actuation position and the predefined actuation position; and output the control signal to the output device at an output time corresponding to when the actuator reaches the calculated trigger position and no later than a time when the actuator reaches the actuation position, such that a time delay between the actuator reaching the predefined actuation position and the action of the output device, occurring based on the outputted control signal, is reduced.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the input device is a keyboard or button, the system configured for providing a depressed or released state signal from the keyboard or button, the system configured to: determine the velocity of the actuator by determining, during depression or release of the actuator, the velocity of the actuator at a first depression or release sense position, corresponding to the predefined pre-actuation position of the actuator, and at a first time; and process the determined velocity to calculate the trigger position and thereby output the control signal by: processing the determined velocity to predict when the actuator will reach a second depression or release sense position, corresponding to the predefined actuation position of the actuator, at a later time during depression or release of the actuator; and generating the depressed or released state signal with a timing based on the prediction of when the actuator will reach the second depression or release sense position.